Charles R Harris
Charles has been a foundational contributor to the scientific Python ecosystem since 2002, with work spanning Numeric, Numarray, NumPy, and SciPy. He has been a frequent participant of SciPy, having only missed two conference since 2003. Charlies brings both deep historical knowledge and a steady commitment to the community. Before retiring in 2013, Charles worked as a mathematician and problem solver at the Space Dynamics Laboratory. He continues to serve as a core NumPy maintainer and is currently the NumPy release manager, a role he sees as "keeping the wheels turning" while supporting the next generation of contributors. Charles holds a B.A. in Physics from Columbia College and a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Utah.
Session
This keynote will trace the personal journey of NumPy's development and the evolution of the SciPy community from 2001 to the present. Drawing on over two decades of involvement, I’ll reflect on how a small group of enthusiastic contributors grew into a vibrant, global ecosystem that now forms the foundation of scientific computing in Python. Through stories, milestones, and community moments, we’ll explore the challenges, breakthroughs, and collaborative spirit that shaped both NumPy and the SciPy conventions over the years.